Of Curses and Calculus
by carnationally
Summary: Life was a science—it had its rules, and there were hardly any exceptions. That's what she always told herself, at least. Unfortunately, she quickly found herself in the middle of one of the biggest exceptions of all. Science may have gotten her this far, but it definitely won't help her now. (Hatsuharu/OC, possible Rin/OC)
1. Of Tents and Strangers

**So here's my first attempt at a fanfic! I decided to do this mostly because of the new reboot. I'm so excited for it****—they're doing amazingly so far! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruit's Basket.**

* * *

Chapter One: Of Tents & Strangers

_"__There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, _

_and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I__."_

_—Travels with Charley by __John Steinbeck_

* * *

There were moments Tomoko truly hated wearing glasses. Why should she _pay_ to see? Plus, the large, circular glasses only made her small face look even smaller and younger. _God_, she hated that. She may have been a third-year junior, but when she looked younger, no one took her seriously. There were hundreds of reasons Tomoko could invent to hate her glasses, but as she walked through the woods with her older sister, she realized she hadn't thought of everything.

"Tohru," she called, pushing her glasses up her nose with the heel of her palm. "If one more bug flies into my glasses, I'm gonna scream."

Tomoko's older sister just looked back, smiling. "Don't worry, Tomo-chan! We're almost there!" Huffing, Tomoko shot her best grin at Honda Tohru, resident ray of sunshine and Tomoko's older sister. Tohru was the optimist of the two, something Tomoko envied at times.

"You said someone walked you to school, right?" Tomoko asked, glancing up at her sister. "What was their name again?"

Tohru perked up, nodding wildly. "Yes! Sohma-kun! He was very nice to me. We were walking home together before work, too!"

"Huh," Tomoko muttered as they approached the tent. The sisters both worked as cleaning ladies in the same building to support themselves while they waited for their grandfather's house to finish its renovations. As they crawled into the tent, Tohru spoke again.

"We're home, Mom!" Tohru shot a grin to their mother's photo. While Tomoko settled down with a textbook, Tohru slumped down. "Uh-oh, I'm feeling a little dizzy."

"Go wash your face or something," Tomoko muttered, not looking up.

"Right!" Tohru crawled to the opening of the tent, but stopped as soon as she lifted the flap.

Frowning, Tomoko tore her eyes away from the textbook. "What's wro—" She shrieked when laughter came from just outside.

* * *

Even as Tomoko sat inside the Sohma's home, she still was confused. She glanced from her sister, to the gray-haired boy, to the still-laughing black-haired man, then back to Tohru.

"I thought something was strange," the younger male murmured, glancing between the sisters. "The Sohmas own all the land in this area."

Tohru clenched her fists. "Would you please let us live there for a little while?"

"It's just until renovations are finished at our grandfather's house," Tomoko added, pushing up her glasses. "Just give us, like, a month, and then we'll be out of your hair. Please."

"We don't have much, but we'll pay you what we can," the eldest Honda finished.

"That's a dangerous spot," the dark-haired man spoke up. "The soil is soft near the cliff, and there are pervs around. And a couple of girls can't just live in a tent for months, anyway."

Tohru stood, pulling Tomoko with her. "It's all right! We're already used to the bugs! I promise, Tomo-chan and I have got more than enough energy and drive! So please—" Tohru abruptly collapsed, slumping onto her sister.

"Honda-san!" The gray-haired boy quickly rushed to Tohru's other side, stabilizing her.

Tomoko grimaced, putting a hand to her sister's forehead. "I told you to not work so hard," she muttered. Turning to the two men, she continued, "She's got a fever."

"Well," the taller man stood, "I'll get some ice." He threw open the doors, revealing what looked like a dump."

"How do you live like this?" Tomoko asked, curling her lip.

The younger male sighed. "Not very well," he muttered. He turned to Tomoko, scrutinizing her. "Are you Honda-san's... sister?"

"Ah." She nodded, bowing slightly. "My name's Tomoko. You're the guy who walked Tohru-chan to school?"

He nodded. "My name is Sohma Yuki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Honda-san."

Tomoko smiled softly, glancing from her sister to Yuki. "You can call me Tomo-chan, if you like. All my friends do, and any friend of Tohru-chan is a friend of mine."

"Th—"

"See?" The older man asked. "What did I tell you? Part of the cliff just crumbled."

"How do you know that?" Tomoko questioned, narrowing her eyes and pushing her glasses.

"Hmm? Let's call it animal instinct!"

"Stop joking around," ordered Yuki as he pulled out a first aid kit. "Where is it?" The older man whined in response, and Tomoko was beginning to wonder who was actually the elder between the two.

"Could it be near our tent?!" Tohru asked in a panic.

"Surely not! It can't be _that_ coincidental!"

* * *

Unfortunately, it _was_ that coincidental. Their once tall and modest tent was crushed under layers of mud from the cliff above. Tomoko tried to run to the ruins, but Yuki caught her by the collar of her uniform, holding her back. He shook his head minutely.

"Oh no!" Tohru cried. "Our mother's picture is still in there!"

"Our _everything _is still in there," Tomoko groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. She broke out of Yuki's grip to follow Tohru as she ran to the tent, digging through the dirt.

"Mom! _Mom!"_

"Honda-san, calm down; you still have a fever." Yuki said, pulling the two sisters back. "You too, Tomo-chan."

"What can we do?" Tohru asked tearfully. "I have to get her out, or she'll be in pain!"

The older man (who Yuki explained was his cousin Shigure) placed his hand on top of Tohru's. "Let's come back when the sun is up," he suggested. "Your mother would suffer even more if either of you got hurt, right?"

Face hard, Tomoko pushed up her glasses once more and stood, pulling Tohru with her. "He's right," she whispered. "We can't let her worry over us more than she had."

* * *

Shigure quickly set up a mat and blanket for Tohru to sleep on, and Tomoko sat by her with her legs crossed. She held her face in her hands and drifted in and out of sleep.

"I'm sorry," Tohru muttered. "We lost our house again."

"You feel really bad about that, don't you?" Shigure asked, sitting next to Tomoko.

Tohru glanced at her sister, smiling faintly when she saw that she was asleep. Turning her head to Shigure, she replied, "No, because I know... there are worse things."

"What's that? Tell me."

She glanced to Tomoko one last time. "I missed the chance to say 'See you when you get back,'" she said eventually.

"The morning of the day our mother died, I'd stayed up almost all night studying for a quiz, and Tomo-chan was sick. Neither of us woke up on time. Usually, I tell her that every morning, but that day... I said I didn't want to go to high school, that I would work instead, but my mother said, 'I only finished middle school, but I wanted to be a high school student! So you and Tomoko enjoy the high school life I didn't have.' She was the best mother, and I didn't manage to say 'See you when you get back.' I didn't even get to see her leave for work. I'm an idiot. Who cares if I fail a test or have my home blow away? It was my family I should have prioritized. So I want to at least graduate from high school—I don't have time to succumb to this fever." With that final declaration, Tohru Honda drifted off to sleep, her younger sister passed out next to her.

"This is a surprise," Yuki said softly from the doorway. Shigure glanced at him as he continued, "She's always so cheerful at school, looking like she hasn't got a care. And to take care of her sister all by herself... she's amazing."

"Amazing how?"

"I thought I'd broken free of the Sohmas," Yuki said, clutching the ice pack, "but if I really hated them I could've just gotten a tent like Honda-san and Tomo-chan and gone off someplace where they couldn't find me. I'm realizing that I'm spoiled."

Shigure smiled. "Calling Tohru amazing is an insult to her, you know." He took the ice pack from Yuki, not looking up.

"True. Can you take things from here?"

"Don't tell me you're going to dig that up? Want me to come along? That's a lot of work to do alone."

"Alone?" Yuki smirked, turning back around as the doors opened, revealing thousands of eyes peering in from the dark. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Shigure smiled. "See you when you get back."

* * *

"Ah! Tomo-chan wake up! Wake up!"

Blearily, Tomoko forced her eyes open. "Whasgoinon'?" she slurred. As she felt around for her glasses—when did she ever take them off?—Tohru continued shaking her by the shoulders.

"We have to dig Mom out!" Tohru called in a panic. She pulled Tomoko to her feet, tugging her to the door.

"Wait I still can't find my—"

"Good morning!" A voice from outside called. Tomoko squinted at the grayish figure before them—seriously where were her glasses?!—as it shifted towards Tohru. "How do you feel?"

"I-uh—good morning!" Tohru cried.

"Here's your photo."

Tomoko squinted. "Yuki-kun?" she asked.

"Ah, Tomo-chan," Yuki smiled at her, even though she couldn't see it. "I have your glasses. Here." Carefully, he slid them up her nose, allowing them to rest above her ears. "I think I got the rest of your things, too, but could you check if I missed anything?" he continued, looking back to Tohru.

"Huh?" Tohru asked. "You moved all that dirt by yourself?!"

Yuki laughed. "Of course not."

"Surely even with Shigure-san's help, you couldn't have gotten everything _that_ easily," Tomoko muttered.

All she got in return was a small smile and lazy shrug. "We're both stronger than we look," was his reply. Tomoko frowned, pushing up her glasses. While she didn't doubt that Yuki and Shigure were, in their own right, strong, she doubted that two men could uncover all that dirt by themselves.

"Ah!" Tohru cried, remembering her manners. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, thanks," Tomoko muttered. She may have been suspicious, but that didn't mean she couldn't be grateful.

Yuki smiled again. "Of course. I'll bring your things upstairs, okay?" He began to walk away, a bag in each hand. There was a pause as the two sisters stared at him, then at each other.

"You'll... _what?_" Tomoko asked eventually.

Pausing, Yuki glanced back over his shoulder. "I know it's a mess, but we do have an empty room on the second floor. You two'll have to share, but you can just stay there until the renovations are done."

Tohru blanched. "We couldn't possibly!" She cried. "Right, Tomo-chan?"

"The bedroom doors are lockable."

"That—that's not what she meant," Tomoko stammered. "We can't—"

"Tohru-kun, Tomo-kun, do you like chores?" Shigure asked, suddenly appearing behind the two. "Like cooking and cleaning for example?" He eyed them, practically staring into their souls.

Once again, the sisters were speechless. "I—uh, yes," Tohru managed eventually.

Tomoko found herself slowly nodding. "She does the cooking, I do the baking, and we both clean."

Shigure continued to scrutinize them before grinning happily, "Welcome to the Sohma household!" As he began to walk away, he added, "Your room isn't aired out, so open a window, okay? Oh, and I've better get you two a copy of the house key."

"That's it?" Tomoko asked incredulously. "I mean, I'm grateful and all, but you're going to just, let us stay in your house? Just like that?"

"Yes!" Tohru nodded vigorously. "It would be causing you too much trouble!"

"We don't mind, or consider it trouble," Yuki told them. "It was our suggestion, anyway." He followed Shigure through the door. "You don't have anywhere to go anyway, right?"

Tohru bolted after him, clutching their mother's photo closer to herself, Tomoko trailing behind. "But wait! If we're going to impose on you, please tell us the Sohma rules and customs!"

Yuki paused before turning around. "Never mind that. Just be yourself, Honda-san, and live at your own pace." He turned back around and made his way up the stairs.

As Tohru dashed after him, Tomoko lingered for a moment before trailing after her sister. She neared the room, but a loud crash that shook the house had her running to her sister, making sure she was okay. An orange-haired boy stood underneath a hole in the ceiling.

"Yo," he said, facing Yuki in a defensive stance. He reared his arm back. "You ready for your beating, rat-boy?"

Yuki leaned against the open window. "How about you give it up already? Since you're weak."

"Why you..."

Tomoko gripped her sister's arm. "Tohru-chan," she muttered, "let's back away from the crazy stranger." Her sister ignored her, and she grit her teeth as they watched on.

"You're gonna get hurt if you think I'm the same fighter I was last time," the ginger continued. He clenched his fist and ran at Yuki. "Here I come!"

Tohru reached out her hand. "No, wait—" But before she could thwart any fight, she slipped on the debris and crashed into the newcomer in an odd puff of orange smoke.

"Yuki-kun!" Shigure called from the doorway, and Tomoko jumped. When did he get there? "Was that Kyo I heard?" Tomoko frowned. She had a name, at least, but that still didn't explain what was—

Her jaw dropped when she saw that Tohru was no longer holding a boy, but a cat with fur that matched Kyo's hair. "What the f—"

"Is this my fault?!" Tohru cried, shaking the-cat-who-was-somehow-Kyo and panicking. "He needs a hospital!" She stood and turned around and immediately was hit in the head by a falling piece of ceiling. Tomoko lunged for her, but her sister fell onto the other occupants instead, creating two more puffs of smoke.

"Jesus Christ," Tomoko muttered, cleaning her glasses on her shirt. _Is it too late to go back to the tent?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by Tohru shaking three animals in her face.

"TOMO-CHAN!"


	2. Of Secrets and Complicated Truths

**Tada! Chapter two is here! I hope everyone enjoys it! Also, on a side note, I've decided to replace the song quotes with book quotes. I think that's more fitting, don't you?**

**I do not own Fruit's Basket! **

* * *

Chapter Two: Of Secrets & Complicated Truths

_"Everything is complicated if no one explains it to you."_

_—__My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by __Fredrik Backman_

* * *

Tomoko eyed the three animals that were somehow the three men she had been with only moments before. In front of her, Tohru was still screaming incoherently.

"Hey, Tohru-kun," Tomoko said, attempting to placate her, "let's calm d—"

"Hello! Package for you from Speedy Delivery!" A voice from outside called. Tomoko groaned as Tohru bolted to the door, taking the animals and her with her.

"They're... they're all animals!" She cried.

The delivery man merely smiled. "Yes, ma'am, I see you have some animals here."

Tugging her arm out of her sister's grip, Tomoko wedged her way in between the two. "Sorry about her!" She apologized, diffusing the situation. "She just... gets really excited. About animals. Uh, I'll take that." She held out her hands to grab the package from the man.

"Could you sign this please?" Before Tomoko could think of another excuse, the dog signed the paper, and the delivery man laughed as he turned around to leave. "What a smart dog! See you next time!"

Tohru fell to her knees, and Tomoko placed the package on the floor and sat next to her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We can't even make a good cover story if you jerks transform, too!" The cat yelled, jolting Tomoko and Tohru.

"You're the one who slipped up first, you stupid cat," the Yuki-rat snapped, pointing his small paw at the cat. If this situation hadn't been the most mind-boggling one she'd ever been in, Tomoko probably would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

As Kyo hissed at Yuki, the dog (Tomoko supposed that was Shigure, then) barked loudly. "Well, better to just tell them than to make up a story they won't believe." He turned to the sisters. "I have a Dog spirit, Yuki-kun has a Rat spirit, and Kyo over there has a Cat spirit. We're all possessed." Kyo stopped hissing, sitting up and letting out a scoff, but Shigure ignored him. "Others in the Sohma family are possessed by the other zodiac spirits, too."

Tomoko shifted, sitting cross legged on the floor and resting her cheek against her fist while she considered what Shigure had said.

"It's run in the family for hundreds of years now, but it doesn't give us any especially cool powers. Pretty much all we can do is communicate with our respective animals, and, for some reason, we transform when we're sick or hugged by the opposite sex." He looked at the two sisters. "We automatically turn human again after a while—"

Three colorful puffs of smoke had Tomoko coughing and covering her eyes, fearing the worst. Her fears were confirmed when Tohru quickly turned around, screaming.

"—buck naked, I'm afraid."

* * *

Tomoko and Tohru sat next to each other at a table while Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo clothed themselves. Glancing to her sister, Tomoko realized that they both were ridiculously calm about the situation. Any normal person probably would have gone screaming for the hills. But as Tohru gave her sister a wide, close-eyed smile, she thought to herself, _Then again, I suppose Tohru and I aren't exactly qualified as 'normal people.'_

"Sorry you had to see that," Shigure said, turning to the girls. "Are you feeling a bit calmer?"

"I've mostly processed things," Tohru managed, looking down.

Tomoko nodded. "It's... interesting, to say the least." She pushed up her glasses and looked from Yuki to Shigure.

"Man, Kyo, you're such an idiot!" Shigure teased as he sat across from Tohru and Tomoko. "Should a trained martial artist be so easy for a girl to sneak up on?"

Glancing behind her, Tomoko could see Kyo, who was shaking from how tense he was.

Shigure continued, "You really have eyes for no one but Yuki-kun!"

That was the final straw, apparently, and Kyo whipped around, a fist raised. "Don't make me sound creepy! And don't blame me, either. What the hell are _two girls_ doing here in the first place?!" He stood and pointed an accusatory finger at the Honda sisters. Tohru flinched, but Tomoko crossed her arms and scoffed. If _he _hadn't _crashed through the ceiling,_ they wouldn't be in this mess. She scooched away from him as he came closer.

"Be quiet," Yuki ordered disdainfully. "It's none of your business whether there's a girl in this house. You're an outsider."

"Shut up!" Kyo punched the table, effectively breaking it in half. Unfortunately, the corner of the table caught Tohru in the forehead.

"Nee-chan!" Tomoko yelped, grabbing her sister by the shoulders to look at her forehead. A steady stream of blood flowed down her face.

Shigure and Yuki gasped. "Tohru-kun, you're bleeding!" The former said, while Yuki approached Kyo and struck him in the forehead. Shigure, who was wiping the blood away with a cloth, Tomoko, and Tohru froze.

"I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you were this bad," Yuki commented. He unbuttoned the top of his shirt as he continued, "Out of respect of the sheer depth of your idiocy, I'll do you a favor: I'll fight you seriously." He motioned with his hand. "Kyo, don't bore me."

Kyo ran for him, scowling. "Bring it on, girly-boy!" They quickly began exchanging blows within the house.

Frowning, Tomoko leaned over and whispered to Shigure, "Is that the best idea right now?"

Shigure merely smiled, placing his hands on Tohru and Tomoko's cheeks and turning their eyes away from the fight. "Don't worry. They get along badly it's not even funny." He began to dab at Tohru's wound with a cotton swab. "They're always fighting."

"Er, shouldn't we stop them?" Tohru asked.

"Yeah," Tomoko agreed. "It's one thing to let them get it out of their system or whatever, but what if they break something?"

"Nah," Shigure said flippantly, "it'll be over soon. Besides, it's a bit late to worry about something getting broken." He glanced back to the boys. "Today will be another win for Yuki-kun." And Shigure was right. As soon as he said that, Yuki kicked Kyo through the doors and sent him flying into the pond outside.

"I told you not to bore me." Yuki quickly walked to Tohru's side, ignoring Shigure's complaints, and knelt down. "Honda-san, how badly are you hurt?"

Tohru waved her hands anxiously. "I-I'm completely fine!" She looked around him to the pond, where Kyo rose with a gasp. "But, what about him?"

"He should be fine."

Tomoko tugged on Yuki's sleeve, grinning so hard her face practically shone. "Oi, oi, that was so cool!" She gushed. "You sent him _flying!_ How did you learn to do that?!"

Yuki relaxed a little as he glanced down at the younger girl, but before he could say anything, Tohru leaped to her feet.

"Oh, no, _school!_ We'll be late!" She cried, grabbing Tomoko by the arm. "I'm so sorry about the timing, but it's very important that I get to school every day! Tomo-chan, too!"

Shigure smiled. "Of course—you promised your late mother, after all." He paused. "Still, I'll have to report what happened to Akito-san, the family head."

"Family head?" Tomoko echoed.

Tohru's eyes widened. "That must be someone important." She clasped her hands and smiled. "I understand. I'll go change my clothes now. Let's go, Tomo-chan!"

"Ah." Tomoko nodded, a much smaller smile on her lips as she let her sister drag her out of the room. Neither of them noticed the dark look on Yuki's face as they left.

* * *

Tomoko slumped at her desk, pouring over her textbook. She arrived two and a half hours late, and she was eager to catch up on what she had missed, when a hand gently tugged her glasses off of her face.

"Oi, Tomo-chan, what's with this? You're never late to school."

Squinting, Tomoko was able to see the shape of her closest friend as he leaned on her desk, her glasses perched on his nose as he looked her up and down. Yamashita Kazuki was Tomoko's closest friend since she could remember. When her mother was still alive, they lived right next door to Kazuki and his family.

Sighing, Tomoko shut her textbook. "Tohru was sick last night," _Good, not a lie._ "And I stayed up late helping her, so we both accidentally slept in." _Technically not a lie._

Kazuki harrumphed as he returned Tomoko's glasses, his cheeks puffing up with air. "What about your grandpa?" He asked, and Tomoko internally winced. "Didn't he help?"

"Uh, yeah!" Tomoko nodded. That_ was a lie._ "But he forgot to set his alarm, so he didn't wake up on time, either." _I'm practically lying through my teeth, now._

Luckily, Kazuki didn't seem to notice, opting to grin widely as he slipped back into his desk next to Tomoko. He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. Tomoko breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. _I hate lying to him,_ she thought,_ but I definitely can't tell him that Tohru and I are staying with total strangers._ She looked over at Kazuki and smiled fondly. _Not yet, at least._

The end of the day came quickly, and the duo were soon walked out of the middle school. Kazuki crossed his arms and pouted as they walked, kicking a rock along with the toe of his shoe. "I wish we still lived next to each other," he muttered. "I miss walking home together."

Tomoko shrugged. "We'll..." she thought for a moment, before coming up with an idea. "We'll just have to hang out more then, Kazuki-chan." They stopped at a turn in the sidewalk, right before the two had to part ways, and Tomoko offered Kazuki a small smile.

Grinning, Kazuki gave her a thumbs up. "I'm holding you to that, Tomo-chan!" He cheered. "See you tomorrow!" Turning on his heel, he waved as he walked away. Tomoko waved back, staying where she was until he rounded a corner and she could no longer see him. Then, she turned around and ran the other way.

_I'm gonna be so late! Why is the house so far away! Oh, man, Tohru-chan's gonna be so worried!_

* * *

"Ah! Tomo-chan! Where were you?!"

_I knew it,_ Tomoko thought blankly as Tohru shook her back and forth. "Sorry," She managed once Tohru calmed slightly. "I was walking back with Kazuki, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that we weren't staying with Grandfather anymore, so we went our usual route. It was further from this house than I had anticipated."

Tohru accepted her apology by way of wrapping her in a bear hug. "Oh!" She cried suddenly, stepping back. "Kyo-kun fixed the ceiling in our room!" Tomoko glanced around her sister to see Kyo sitting outside and made a mental note to thank him later as Tohru continued, "And Shigure-kun said we can stay here and keep our memories as long as we don't tell their secret!"

"That's gr—wait, _keep our memories?!_"

Yuki walked over to the two, wincing apologetically. "Ah, that's right, I forgot to tell you, Tomo-chan, but our family can repress the memories of someone if they saw us transform."

Tomoko nodded slowly, clearing her throat. "I see. That's good to know."

"Ah, Tomo-chan!" Tohru grabbed Tomoko's hand, dragging her to the kitchen. "Come on, we have to get started!"

As Tomoko looked at her sister, a small smile grew on her face. It came nowhere near Tohru's, but anyone could tell from her shining eyes that Tomoko was just as happy as she was.

_Mom, we've found somewhere to stay._

_And maybe... one day, I can call this place..._

_Home._

* * *

"This is amazing." Yuki breathed as he walked into the kitchen, something no one had been able to do mere hours ago. It was entirely spotless, even sparkling in some places. Tohru and Tomoko stood proudly with aprons tied around their waists, beaming. "I'm surprised you two managed to get such a rotten kitchen clean."

"Me too," Tomoko muttered.

"But we gave it our all!" Tohru cheered, rubbing the sweat off her forehead.

Tomoko grinned toothily. "Yeah we did!" She held her hand out, and her sister slapped it eagerly.

Yuki glanced at the table and did a double take. "Shigure owns a rice cooker?" He asked in disbelief.

"Tohru-chan excavated it."

As Yuki and Tohru ate dinner, Tomoko stayed in the kitchen. She wanted to bake an exceptionally amazing dessert as a 'thank you' to Yuki and Shigure. Kyo, too, she supposed after a moment's hesitation.

_He did fix the ceiling, after all.__ I'm sure he's a nice guy. Just a little... prickly. Maybe we just got off on the wrong_—

"Shut up!"

_Never mind._

Tomoko peeked out of the kitchen as Kyo stormed off, followed closely by Shigure, who was attempting to placate him.

"I'm so pissed!" Kyo said. "Is it fun for you, manipulating people like that?!"

"Slow down! Sure, I'm having fun, but it's for your own good!"

"Um," Tohru stuttered, "w-welcome home! Would you like something to eat?"

Kyo paused. "Hell no!"

Tomoko crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "Yo, what's your problem?" She asked. "What'd he do?" But she was ignored as he stormed out of sight.

Sighing, Shigure sat down at the table. "It's because I tricked him into taking a school transfer exam." Tomoko snorted loudly, and she quickly covered her mouth to muffle her laughter.

"Transfer?" Tohru asked, handing Shigure the rice.

"Yes. Starting tomorrow, Kyo-kun will be attending the same school as you two." He thanked her for the food, but before he could take a bite, Yuki rose to his feet, looming over the taller man.

"Don't eat," he ordered. "Don't come near us. Get out." Tomoko shivered at his icy tone.

"Yeah," Shigure said, unfazed. "I figured you'd be angry."

Tomoko sniffed, turning back into the kitchen when she caught a whiff of pancake. She lifted the pan off the burner and placed the pancake on top of a small stack of other pancakes. She grabbed the bowl of red bean paste she had set out, and began to spread it onto some of the pancakes.

"Are you making dorayaki?" Yuki asked as he came into the kitchen.

Nodding, Tomoko glanced over at him before going back to the task at hand. "Ah. It's one of my favorites, and it's super easy to make!" She held out a complete one. "Here, take this one."

Yuki smiled as he took it and bit into it. "Thank you, Tomo-chan."

Tomoko grinned as she took a bite of her own dorayaki.

_Yeah, I think I could totally get used to this place._

* * *

The next night, Tohru and Tomoko walked home from work through the woods. Tohru sighed dejectedly, paused to think for a moment, then sighed again.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Tomoko asked.

"I think Kyo-san hates me," Tohru mumbled, staring at her feet.

Pursing her lips, Tomoko sighed. Emotions were Tohru's area of expertise, not hers, but she knew her sister needed to be comforted. Thinking back to what she had told herself the day before, Tomoko said, "I'm sure you just got off on the wrong foot. Besides," her voice took a slightly teasing edge, "I don't think it's possible to _truly_ hate Honda Tohru."

Tohru stopped, raising a determined fist in the air. "You're right, Tomo-chan! I'll just try again and do what Mom always said—just be myself!" Tomoko grinned, but it quickly fell when they heard rustling behind them.

"What is that?" Tomoko hissed, whipping her head from side to side.

Tohru shook in fear before swinging her bag behind her. "No!"

Kyo froze, Tohru's bag making contact with the side of his head. He turned around as Tohru attempted to apologize. "Kyo-san—"

"Cut that out," he said eventually, still facing the other way. "Being called -san makes me itchy. You can just drop it."

"Kyo... kun?"

"Yeah, what?"

"I was just testing the name."

Kyo whipped back around. "Don't say my name if you don't need anything!"

"Sorry!"

Noticing Tohru's apparent fear, Kyo slumped. "No, scratch that. It's fine. You can say my name without needing anything." He paused for a moment before glancing over to the younger girl. "You too, kid."

Tomoko smiled. "Okay. You can call me Tomo-chan, then!"

"Hell no!"

"What about just Tomo?"

Kyo considered it for a moment. "Fine." He looked back at Tohru, rubbing his arm. "And I... I don't mind if you hang around where I can see you, and if something pisses you off, you can hit me, like just now."

"L-listen!" Tohru said. "I'm sorry! It was an accident! I said 'no' and hit you with my bag because I mistook you for a pervert!"

"A-a pervert?" Kyo protested, but Tohru plowed ahead.

"In fact, what I feel is love! I've always loved the zodiac cat!" When Kyo looked at her, confused, she stepped toward him and continued, "It's true! I... I wanted to be year of the cat! So what I'm saying is... I want to be friends!"

Kyo gaped at her, his face flushed. "There's nothing good about the year of the Cat!" He waved a dismissive hand as he walked away, leaving Tohru and Tomoko to watch him go.

* * *

"Kyo-kun, you lecher!" Shigure teased at dinner that night. He sat at the end of the table, while Yuki and Tomoko sat across from Kyo and Tohru.

"Why would you say that?!" Kyo demanded, slamming his hands onto the table.

"You know," Shigure continued, ignoring Kyo, "Kyo-kun personally offered to walk you two home from work!"

"It'll never happen again! No more!"

Tomoko shrugged. "Okay."

"That's okay," Tohru agreed, "but seeing you eat a proper meal makes me even happier, Kyo-kun. How is it? Do you like it?"

Kyo paused, fumbling for words, and accidentally caught Yuki's eye. "What?" he snapped.

"Nothing."

"Why were you staring at me?!"

Yuki remained impassive. "I was only looking."

"Like you would look at me for no reason!"

"Is it bad?" Tohru piped up, still curious about how he liked the food.

Kyo, still in the heat of the moment, whipped his head to face Tohru. "Yes!" There were a few moments of silence. "No, wait—I mean…"

Tomoko snickered, covering her mouth with a napkin. _Yeah. I think I'm gonna like it_ _here, Mom._

* * *

**Aand, there's chapter two! I hope everything looks okay from a grammatical standpoint. I had to write the bottom half of this chapter on my phone, which is harder than I thought it would be. Anyways, hopefully you guys enjoyed it, and I'm going to try and get the next chapter out soon!**


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